How to Beat Age Discrimination in Hiring

Age is a point of weakness for job hunters in today’s economy. Because of this, older people can become easily discouraged when looking for a job.

But this should not be the case. If you are an older job hunter, you can find ways to reframe your circumstances and highlight your strengths. Workers over 50 add tremendous value to organizations because of their high level of engagement, stability, productivity and experience.

Some companies actually prefer to hire older workers because they are less likely to look for another job than younger workers, and this decreases the high cost of hiring.

Older workers can also help cultivate a more positive and effective work environment due to their dedication by example — and that can contribute to higher motivation and company morale, which can subsequently greatly increasean organization’s productivity.

If you’re struggling to find work because of your age, here are some tips to help you present your age as a strength:

Highlight your engagement. If you want to play against younger workers, start by sharing how you’ve learned to succeed over time. Demonstrate your involvement and efficiency during task and project processes.

Highlight your stability. Be ready to use your maturity as a value. Share how you have used your life experience to deal with stressful workplace issues among co-workers. (Don’t forget to state that you’re looking for a long-term and productive relationship.)

Highlight your productivity. Because you are experienced, it should be easy for you to adapt to a new role. Your ability to stay highly engaged and remain loyal helps you to be more productive and excel. (Both of these characteristics are important to recruiters.)

Highlight your experience. You have experience that a younger worker simply can’t match. Stress that your experience can help an employer avoid costly mistakes that a less experienced worker may be more prone to make.

Highlight your most up-to-date skills. Keep up with the latest trends to sharpen your knowledge and the skills that are relevant to your field. Place your computer skills at the top of your resume, and make a commitment to never stop learning.

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 40,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.